Kranz Co. Life in Bloom

Ahhh—there is something so delightfully rebellious about writing a garden post in the middle of February. I am more than ready for fresh dirt under my nails, new plants to obsess over, and flowers popping up everywhere. We still have a long way to go, but dreaming and planning is half the fun.

Last year was a bit of a learning curve when it came to dahlia storage. I lost about half of my tubers to mold and rot, which was heartbreaking after such a great growing season. We tried the saran wrap method, and while I know many people swear by it, it just didn’t work for us. Maybe user error, maybe our storage conditions, but either way, we decided to pivot.

This year, I went all-in on the vermiculite-in-tub method, and so far… I’m thrilled. They also live in my garage, which can get cold. When the temp drops, I do cover them (and tuck them in) with a blanket.

I also put together a separate post on digging, labeling, and dividing tubers, but once that process is complete and the cuts have had a day or two to fully dry, I dip the cut ends in Ceylon cinnamon. I linked the type I bought via amazon. I know—it sounds extra to buy a specific type of cinnamon just for flowers. But after a lot of reading, I learned that Ceylon cinnamon has stronger antifungal properties than regular grocery-store cinnamon. Three months into winter storage, I can confidently say it’s made a noticeable difference. My tubers look so much healthier than they did last year.

For storage, each dahlia variety gets its own labeled bin (some share, depending on how many tubers I have). I make sure no tubers are touching, this part is key. I start with a layer of vermiculite, gently lay in the tubers, then cover them with another layer before adding more tubers. Think lasagna… but make it dahlia-core.

Each bin is clearly labeled with the dahlia variety and the number of tubers inside, which Future Me will be very thankful for come spring.

And now? We wait.
Only three more months until we start waking them up and kicking off another growing season. Eek!